Jeffrey L. WilsonThe 10 Best PlayStation 3 GamesThe PlayStation 3 launched to a collective gamer response of "meh," but Sony's third home video game console is one gamers should have in their living rooms. Here are 10 reasons why.

PlayStation 4 may command the majority of the Sony-related headlines as we approach the system's Nov. 15 launch date, but that doesn't mean that Sony's current console, the PlayStation 3, is suddenly obsolete. Judging by the length of time that Sony supported the PlayStation 2—hardware shut down in January 2013 after a 13-year run—there's a good chance that the PS3 will thrive for some time to come.

PlayStation 3 had a rough start with a half-a-grand price tag and weak launch library. Still, it found an audience with those who wanted a Blu-ray player/all-in-one entertainment device. PS3 became a must-have machine after the library expanded and a price cut dropped the MSRP to $249.

Although many of the best PS3 games are cross-platform games that are also available on the PC and Xbox 360, the PS3 has numerous console exclusives that make the system stand out from its competitors (such as Journey and The Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection).

The games in this feature are distributed on physical discs, but PS3—like the Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC—has a deep digital download library. The PlayStation Network (PSN) is where you can purchase new games, such as the emotion-stirring Journey, through your console for typically $15 or less. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber (starting at $9.99 per month) you can purchase select games at a discount (or free!), download full game trials, and get early access to demos and betas—not to mention additional content that can extend the life of many games.

If you're ready to PS3 game, check out the 10 titles in our slideshow, which cover the red hot titles that you should have in your library. Think that we've overlooked a hot, top-10 worthy title? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know your top PS3 games.

1
Batman: Arkham City

$49.99MSRP

Bruce Wayne's true face returns to action in Batman: Arkham City, the smart, action-packed follow up to Batman: Arkham Asylum. This Game of The Year candidate builds on Arkham Asylum's solid foundation by adding new hard-hitting melee attacks, more Bat-gadgets, stealth, detective work, and an expansive playground—an open-air penitentiary in Gotham's slums—where the city's worst minds run wild. These criminal minds include the familiar (Catwoman, The Joker, Two-Face), and the more obscure (Calendar Man, Hugo Strange, Solomon Grundy). Developer Rocksteady Studios has proven that comic book licenses need not be trapped in the usual murk of suspect gameplay and mediocre movie tie-ins.

2
Dishonored

$59.99MSRP

Dishonored is a fantastic game that puts players in a playground of murder and stealth, while keeping a sharp focus on intriguing narrative. It's not quite as large, open, or well-written as Deus Ex, but this super-powered revenge game stands as a solid spiritual successor to that, one of the best PC games of all time. It's Bioshock to Deus Ex's System Shock 2, and it's worth a look no matter your favorite genre.

3
Flower

$6.99MSRP

Thatgamecompany's Flower has a simple premise: You bring beauty to a decayed world by guiding wind-blown flower petals through fields. Making contact with flowers that have small halos around them causes musical notes to play and plants to bloom. Bloom all of the flowers in an area, and a magical, life-giving wave passes over the grayed landscape; transforming it from bleak to beautiful. Flower's regenerative acts are some of the most satisfying moments that a player will experience in any video game.

4
Grand Theft Auto V

$59.99MSRP

GTA V represents the pinnacle of Rockstar Games's design chops. Neighborhoods, mini-games, animations, voice-overs, radio stations are wonderfully realized in the fictional city of Los Santos. GTA V even has multiple protagonists that you can switch between at nearly any time—a first for the series. Rockstar delivers a killer soundtrack, too. Factor in a gang-centric online mode, and Grand Theft Auto V becomes this generation's ultimate crime caper.

5
Journey

$29.99MSRP

When video game outlets post their game of the year lists, the selected titles are typically AAA affairs with bloated development budgets, incredible marketing budgets, and lots of visceral action to instantly pull gamers into their digital worlds. Journey, thatgamecompany's third Sony-funded "indie" outing after the critically acclaimed Flow and Flower, is worthy of game-of-the-year consideration despite the absence of such elements. Instead, this PSN exclusive title dazzles with subtle storytelling, minimalist art design, and environments that, despite being small, carry grand, almost spiritual weight.

6
The Last of Us

$59.99MSRP

Naughty Dog, the development house behind the Uncharted and Jax and Daxter series, has created what many have hailed as "the last great PlayStation 3 game." The Last of Us combines action and survival gameplay to tell a character-driven tale about a world destroyed by the Cordyceps fungus, a growth that transforms humanity into zombie-like monsters (the fungus, in fact, is one that appears in the real world and has unusual effects on its hosts). Moving and action-packed, The Last of Us deserves to be in every PlayStation 3 gamer's library.

7
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

$59.99MSRP

Famed video game designer Hideo Kojima first revealed what would become Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance at a Microsoft E3 press conference in 2009—roughly the halfway point in this console generation's life cycle—when it was billed as Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Four years later—an eternity for Metal Gear fans—the game's finally here, but with many changes: There's a new title, Platinum Games took over the development duties from Kojima Productions, and the gameplay lost many of its stealth elements in favor of high-octane, sword-based action that sees protagonist Raiden slicing and dicing cybernetic baddies into itty bitty pieces. And it’s a blast.

8
The Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection

$49.99MSRP

For more than 25 years, the Metal Gear series has been surprising gamers, redefining staid gaming clichés, and popularizing the stealth genre. Now, Konami has gathered up the core games of the series, releasing all eight games for the PlayStation 3 under one title, Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. Whether you're a Metal Gear veteran or just coming to the series for the first time, this collection of critically acclaimed fan favorites is highly recommended.

9
Tekken Tag Tournament 2

$39.99MSRP

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features 40-plus fighters representing a wide cross section of martial arts styles ranging from boxing to wrestling to MMA to kung fu. There are a few characters that are virtually identical (Eddy Gordo, Tiger Jackson), but most feel like well-crafted combatants with their own takes on their particular brand of fighting. The roster has a handful of goofy characters like Alex (a boxing glove-wearing dinosaur), and Roger, Jr. (a boxing glove-wearing kangaroo who carries a Joey in the pouch), but if you fancy 3D fighters, this is your game.

10
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

$59.99MSRP

Nathan Drake returns to modern-day swashbuckling action in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, a cinematic action title serves as the follow up to Naughty Dog's classic Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The third game in the Uncharted franchise sees adventurer Nathan Drake in search of the fabled "Atlantis of the Sands." The gun-toting protagonist's trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert features Hollywood-caliber interactive cinematic experience, online multiplayer support, and stereoscopic 3D visuals. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a must-have PS3 exclusive.

About the Author

For more than a decade, Jeffrey L. Wilson has penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including 1UP, 2D-X, The Cask, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. He now brings his knowledge and skillset to PCMag as Senior Analyst.
When he isn't staring at a monitor (or two) and churning out web... See Full Bio

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